tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79091562952827228182024-03-14T01:54:23.883-07:00Dr. Helen MabryOptimizing wellness using evidence, experience and tasteHelen Mabry, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10943672092788668998noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7909156295282722818.post-47731584864805978432013-03-27T12:49:00.001-07:002013-03-27T12:49:35.672-07:00Exercise to become smarter!http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/magazine/how-exercise-could-lead-to-a-better-brain.html?<br />
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The value of mental-training games may be speculative, as <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/magazine/can-you-make-yourself-smarter.html" style="color: #666699;">Dan Hurley writes in his article on the quest to make ourselves smarter</a>, but there is another, easy-to-achieve, scientifically proven way to make yourself smarter. Go for a walk or a swim. For more than a decade, neuroscientists and physiologists have been gathering evidence of the beneficial relationship between <a class="meta-classifier" href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/specialtopic/physical-activity/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" style="color: #666699;" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Physical activity.">exercise</a> and brainpower. But the newest findings make it clear that this isn’t just a relationship; it is the relationship. Using sophisticated technologies to examine the workings of individual neurons — and the makeup of brain matter itself — scientists in just the past few months have discovered that exercise appears to build a brain that resists physical shrinkage and enhance cognitive flexibility. Exercise, the latest neuroscience suggests, does more to bolster thinking than thinking does.</div>
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The most persuasive evidence comes from several new studies of lab animals living in busy, exciting cages. It has long been known that so-called “enriched” environments — homes filled with toys and engaging, novel tasks — lead to improvements in the brainpower of lab animals. In most instances, such environmental enrichment also includes a running wheel, because mice and rats generally enjoy running. Until recently, there was little research done to tease out the particular effects of running versus those of playing with new toys or engaging the mind in other ways that don’t increase the heart rate.</div>
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So, last year a team of researchers led by Justin S. Rhodes, a psychology professor at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois, gathered four groups of mice and set them into four distinct living arrangements. One group lived in a world of sensual and gustatory plenty, dining on nuts, fruits and cheeses, their food occasionally dusted with cinnamon, all of it washed down with variously flavored waters. Their “beds” were colorful plastic igloos occupying one corner of the cage. Neon-hued balls, plastic tunnels, nibble-able blocks, mirrors and seesaws filled other parts of the cage. Group 2 had access to all of these pleasures, plus they had small disc-shaped running wheels in their cages. A third group’s cages held no embellishments, and they received standard, dull kibble. And the fourth group’s homes contained the running wheels but no other toys or treats.</div>
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All the animals completed a series of cognitive tests at the start of the study and were injected with a substance that allows scientists to track changes in their brain structures. Then they ran, played or, if their environment was unenriched, lolled about in their cages for several months.</div>
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Afterward, Rhodes’s team put the mice through the same cognitive tests and examined brain tissues. It turned out that the toys and tastes, no matter how stimulating, had not improved the animals’ brains.</div>
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“Only one thing had mattered,” Rhodes says, “and that’s whether they had a running wheel.” Animals that exercised, whether or not they had any other enrichments in their cages, had healthier brains and performed significantly better on cognitive tests than the other mice. Animals that didn’t run, no matter how enriched their world was otherwise, did not improve their brainpower in the complex, lasting ways that Rhodes’s team was studying. “They loved the toys,” Rhodes says, and the mice rarely ventured into the empty, quieter portions of their cages. But unless they also exercised, they did not become smarter.</div>
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<strong>Why would exercise</strong> build brainpower in ways that thinking might not? The brain, like all muscles and organs, is a tissue, and its function declines with underuse and age. Beginning in our late 20s, most of us will lose about 1 percent annually of the volume of the hippocampus, a key portion of the brain related to memory and certain types of learning.</div>
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Exercise though seems to slow or reverse the brain’s physical decay, much as it does with muscles. Although scientists thought until recently that humans were born with a certain number of brain cells and would never generate more, they now know better. In the 1990s, using a technique that marks newborn cells, researchers determined during autopsies that adult human brains contained quite a few new neurons. Fresh cells were especially prevalent in the hippocampus, indicating that neurogenesis — or the creation of new brain cells — was primarily occurring there. Even more heartening, scientists found that exercise jump-starts neurogenesis. Mice and rats that ran for a few weeks generally had about twice as many new neurons in their hippocampi as sedentary animals. Their brains, like other muscles, were bulking up.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 1.467em;">But it was the ineffable effect that exercise had on the functioning of the newly formed neurons that was most startling. Brain cells can improve intellect only if they join the existing neural network, and many do not, instead rattling aimlessly around in the brain for a while before dying.</span></div>
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One way to pull neurons into the network, however, is to learn something. In a 2007 study, new brain cells in mice became looped into the animals’ neural networks if the mice learned to navigate a water maze, a task that is cognitively but not physically taxing. But these brain cells were very limited in what they could do. When the researchers studied brain activity afterward, they found that the newly wired cells fired only when the animals navigated the maze again, not when they practiced other cognitive tasks. The learning encoded in those cells did not transfer to other types of rodent thinking.</div>
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Exercise, on the other hand, seems to make neurons nimble. When researchers in a separate study had mice run, the animals’ brains readily wired many new neurons into the neural network. But those neurons didn’t fire later only during running. They also lighted up when the animals practiced cognitive skills, like exploring unfamiliar environments. In the mice, running, unlike learning, had created brain cells that could multitask.</div>
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Just how exercise remakes minds on a molecular level is not yet fully understood, but research suggests that exercise prompts increases in something called brain-derived neurotropic factor, or B.D.N.F., a substance that strengthens cells and axons, fortifies the connections among neurons and sparks neurogenesis. Scientists can’t directly study similar effects in human brains, but they have found that after workouts, most people display higher B.D.N.F. levels in their bloodstreams.</div>
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Few if any researchers think that more B.D.N.F. explains all of the brain changes associated with exercise. The full process almost certainly involves multiple complex biochemical and genetic cascades. A recent study of the brains of elderly mice, for instance, found 117 genes that were expressed differently in the brains of animals that began a program of running, compared with those that remained sedentary, and the scientists were looking at only a small portion of the many genes that might be expressed differently in the brain by exercise.</div>
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Whether any type of exercise will produce these desirable effects is another unanswered and intriguing issue. “It’s not clear if the activity has to be endurance exercise,” says the psychologist and neuroscientist Arthur F. Kramer, director of the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois and a pre-eminent expert on exercise and the brain. A limited number of studies in the past several years have found cognitive benefits among older people who lifted weights for a year and did not otherwise exercise. But most studies to date, and all animal experiments, have involved running or other aerobic activities.</div>
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Whatever the activity, though, an emerging message from the most recent science is that exercise needn’t be exhausting to be effective for the brain. When a group of 120 older men and women were assigned to walking or stretching programs for a major 2011 study, the walkers wound up with larger hippocampi after a year. Meanwhile, the stretchers lost volume to normal atrophy. The walkers also displayed higher levels of B.D.N.F. in their bloodstreams than the stretching group and performed better on cognitive tests.</div>
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In effect, the researchers concluded, the walkers had regained two years or more of hippocampal youth. Sixty-five-year-olds had achieved the brains of 63-year-olds simply by walking, which is encouraging news for anyone worried that what we’re all facing as we move into our later years is a life of slow (or not so slow) mental decline.</div>
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Helen Mabry, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10943672092788668998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7909156295282722818.post-30245926481322751682013-03-21T11:32:00.001-07:002013-03-21T11:32:35.996-07:00Trying to lose weight? Sleep more!<br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, times, serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 34.640625px;">http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/18/lost-sleep-can-lead-to-weight-gain/</span></span></h1>
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Lost Sleep Can Lead to Weight Gain</h1>
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By <a class="url fn" href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/author/tara-parker-pope/" style="color: grey; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;" title="See all posts by TARA PARKER-POPE">TARA PARKER-POPE</a></address>
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<img alt="" height="345" id="100000002123898" src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/03/19/science/19WELL_SPAN/19WELL-tmagArticle.jpg" style="display: block;" width="592" /><span class="credit" style="color: #909090; display: block; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.223em; margin: 2px 0px; text-align: right;">Stuart Bradford</span><span class="caption" style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.2727em; margin: 3px 2px;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.5em;"><br />For years researchers have known that</span><span style="font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span><a href="http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/164/10/947.full" style="color: #666699; font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.5em;" target="_blank" title="American Journal of Epidemiology article.">adults who sleep less than five or six hours a night are at higher risk of being overweight</a><span style="font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.5em;">. Among children, sleeping less than 10 hours a night is</span><span style="font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.5em;"> </span><a href="http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-causes/sleep-and-obesity/" style="color: #666699; font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.5em;" target="_blank" title="Article on Harvard School of Public Health’s Web site.">associated with weight gain</a><span style="font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.5em;">.</span>The best path to a healthy weight may be a good night’s sleep.</div>
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Now a fascinating new study suggests that the link may be even more insidious than previously thought. Losing just a few hours of sleep a few nights in a row can lead to almost immediate weight gain.</div>
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Sleep researchers from the University of Colorado recruited 16 healthy men and women for a two-week experiment tracking sleep, metabolism and eating habits. Nothing was left to chance: the subjects stayed in a special room that allowed researchers to track their metabolism by measuring the amount of oxygen they used and carbon dioxide they produced. Every bite of food was recorded, and strict sleep schedules were imposed.</div>
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The goal was to determine how inadequate sleep over just one week — similar to what might occur when students cram for exams or when office workers stay up late to meet a looming deadline — affects a person’s weight, behavior and physiology.</div>
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During the first week of the study, half the people were allowed to sleep nine hours a night while the other half stayed up until about midnight and then could sleep up to five hours. Everyone was given unlimited access to food. In the second week, the nine-hour sleepers were then restricted to five hours of sleep a night, while the sleep-deprived participants were allowed an extra four hours.</div>
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Notably, the researchers found that staying up late and getting just five hours of sleep <em>increased </em>a person’s metabolism. <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2013/03/06/1216951110.abstract" style="color: #666699;" target="_blank" title="Article abstract.">Sleep-deprived participants actually burned an extra 111 calories a day</a>, according to the findings published last week in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.</div>
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But even though we burn more calories when we stay awake, losing sleep is not a good way to lose weight. The light sleepers ended up eating far more than those who got nine hours of sleep, and by the end of the first week the sleep-deprived subjects had gained an average of about two pounds.</div>
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During the second week, members of the group that had originally slept nine hours also gained weight when they were restricted to just five hours. And the other group began to lose some (but not all) of the weight gained in that first sleep-deprived week.</div>
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Kenneth Wrightdirector of the university’s sleep and chronobiology laboratory, said part of the change was behavioral. Staying up late and skimping on sleep led to not only more eating, but a shift in the type of foods a person consumed.</div>
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“We found that when people weren’t getting enough sleep they overate<a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/nutrition/carbohydrates/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" style="color: #666699;" target="_blank" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Carbohydrates.">carbohydrates</a>,” he said. “They ate more food, and when they ate food also changed. They ate a smaller breakfast and they ate a lot more after dinner.”</div>
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In fact, sleep-deprived eaters ended up eating more calories during after-dinner snacking than in any other meal during the day. Over all, people consumed 6 percent more calories when they got too little sleep. Once they started sleeping more, they began eating more healthfully, consuming fewer carbohydrates and fats. Dr. Wright noted that the effect of sleep deprivation on weight would likely be similar in the real world although it might not be as pronounced as in the controlled environment. The researchers found that insufficient sleep changed the timing of a person’s internal clock, and that in turn appeared to influence the changes in eating habits. “They were awake three hours before their internal nighttime had ended,” Dr. Wright said. “Being awakened during their biological night is probably why they ate smaller breakfasts.”</div>
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The effect was similar to the jet lag that occurs when a person travels from California to New York.</div>
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Last fall, The Annals of Internal Medicine reported on a study by University of Chicago researchers, who found that <a href="https://annals.org/article.aspx?articleid=1379773" style="color: #666699;" target="_blank">lack of sleep alters the biology of fat cells</a>. In the small study — just seven healthy volunteers — the researchers tracked the changes that occurred when subjects moved from 8.5 hours of sleep to just 4.5 hours. After four nights of less sleep, their fat cells were less sensitive to insulin, a metabolic change associated with both <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/diabetes/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" style="color: #666699;" target="_blank" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Diabetes.">diabetes</a> and <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/symptoms/morbid-obesity/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" style="color: #666699;" target="_blank" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Obesity.">obesity</a>.</div>
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“Metabolically, lack of sleep aged fat cells about 20 years,” said Matthew Brady, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Chicago and the senior author on the study.</div>
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“These subjects were in their low 20s but it’s as if they were now middle-aged in terms of their response. We were surprised how profound the effects were.”</div>
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Both Drs. Wright and Brady noted that because their studies lasted only days, it was not clear how long-term sleep deprivation affects weight, and whether the body adjusts to less sleep.</div>
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Dr. Brady said that while better sleep would not solve the obesity problem, paying more attention to sleep habits could help individuals better manage their weight.</div>
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In the future he hopes to study whether a focus on better sleep could improve the health of people in middle age who are overweight or prediabetic.</div>
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“Telling someone they need to sleep more as a way to improve their metabolic health, we think would be more palatable,” said Dr. Brady. “We think sleep is very underappreciated.”</div>
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A version of this article appeared in print on 03/19/2013, on page D4 of the NewYork edition with the headline: Lost Sleep Can Lead to Weight Gain.</h6>
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Helen Mabry, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10943672092788668998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7909156295282722818.post-40900839836912178692012-12-19T08:35:00.001-08:002012-12-19T08:37:29.556-08:00Diabetes increases risk of breast cancer and physical activity reduces the risk<br />
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Diabetes confers 27% increase in breast cancer risk</h2>
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<a href="mailto:b.jancin@elsevier.com" style="color: #547d9e; text-decoration: initial;">By: BRUCE JANCIN, Ob.Gyn. News Digital Network</a><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">SAN ANTONIO – Diabetes is independently associated with a 27% increased risk of breast cancer, but this elevated risk is confined to postmenopausal type 2 diabetic patients, a large meta-analysis has shown.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">The meta-analysis, which included 40 published studies and 56,111 women with breast cancer, found no association between risk of the malignancy and circulating serum insulin level, insulin growth factor–1 level, fasting blood glucose level, or C-peptide concentration.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">These findings suggest that the hyperinsulinemic theory of the pathogenesis of breast cancer may need to be reevaluated in order to account for the increased risk being confined to postmenopausal patients and unrelated to indices of metabolic control, Dr. Peter Boyle said at the annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">The key risk factors for breast cancer that emerged from the meta-analysis were adiposity and lack of physical activity. Both are also well established as risk factors for diabetes.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Based on the findings from this meta-analysis, efforts to avoid overweight and increase physical activity should form the basis of a common public health strategy simultaneously aimed at preventing diabetes and breast cancer, according to Dr. Boyle of the International Prevention Research Institute in Lyon, France.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">High levels of physical activity, whether occupational or recreational, were independently associated with a 17% reduction in the relative risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer in premenopausal women and a 12% decrease in the postmenopausal population.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">The relationship between adiposity and breast cancer was less straightforward. Premenopausal women who were overweight or obese had a significantly lower breast cancer risk than did leaner women, while breast cancer risk was increased in adipose postmenopausal women. More specifically, a 5-U increase in body mass index – equivalent to an extra 14.5 kg in a woman 1.7 m tall – was associated with an 11% increased risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women but a 10% reduction in risk in premenopausal women.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Dr. Boyle and coworkers also presented a related meta-analysis looking at breast cancer risk in women using insulin glargine (Lantus). The study was prompted by recent evidence linking pioglitazone to a possible increase in bladder cancer, liraglutide and pancreatic cancer, insulin use and lung cancer, and exenatide and pancreatic cancer.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">This meta-analysis included 18 epidemiologic studies published within the past 3 years. Collectively the studies involved 4,080 cases of breast cancer in 903,675 patients followed for 2.7 million person-years.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">The meta-analysis demonstrated no increase in breast cancer risk in insulin glargine users, compared with users of other insulins. Indeed, the risk of all forms of cancer was 9% lower in insulin glargine users, a statistically significant reduction. This was driven by a 14% reduction in the relative risk of colorectal cancer.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Another reassuring finding was that breast cancer risk did not increase with longer use of insulin glargine, as would be expected if a causal relationship existed, he added.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Both meta-analyses were funded by Sanofi-Aventis, which markets glargine. Dr. Boyle reported having no relevant financial conflicts, although several of his coinvestigators have served on advisory boards for Sanofi-Aventis and other insulin manufacturers.</span></div>
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Helen Mabry, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10943672092788668998noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7909156295282722818.post-77570945047260063282012-12-13T14:01:00.003-08:002012-12-13T14:01:30.503-08:00Why Afternoon May Be the Best Time to Exercise<br />
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<a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/12/why-afternoon-may-be-the-best-time-to-exercise/?src=me&ref=general">Original Article</a><br />
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Does exercise influence the body’s internal clock? Few of us may be conscious of it, but our bodies, and in turn our health, are ruled by rhythms. “The heart, the liver, the brain — all are controlled by an endogenous circadian rhythm,” says Christopher Colwell, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles’s Brain Research Institute, who led a series of new experiments on how exercise affects the body’s internal clock. The studies were conducted in mice, but the findings suggest that exercise does affect our circadian rhythms, and the effect may be most beneficial if the exercise is undertaken midday.</div>
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For the <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22988135" style="color: #666699;">study, which appears in the December Journal of Physiology</a>, the researchers gathered several types of mice. Most of the animals were young and healthy. But some had been bred to have a malfunctioning internal clock, or pacemaker, which involves, among other body parts, a cluster of cells inside the brain “whose job it is to tell the time of day,” Dr. Colwell says.</div>
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These pacemaker cells receive signals from light sources or darkness that set off a cascade of molecular effects. Certain genes fire, expressing proteins, which are released into the body, where they migrate to the heart, neurons, liver and elsewhere, choreographing those organs to pulse in tune with the rest of the body. We sleep, wake and function physiologically according to the dictates of our body’s internal clock.</div>
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But, Dr. Colwell says, that clock can become discombobulated. It is easily confused, for instance, by viewing artificial light in the evening, he says, when the internal clock expects darkness. Aging also worsens the clock’s functioning, he says. “By middle age, most of us start to have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep,” he says. “Then we have trouble staying awake the next day.”</div>
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The consequences of clock disruptions extend beyond sleepiness. Recent research has linked out-of-sync circadian rhythm in people to an increased risk for diabetes, obesity, certain types of cancer, memory loss and mood disorders, including depression.</div>
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“We believe there are serious potential health consequences” to problems with circadian rhythm, Dr. Colwell says. Which is why he and his colleagues set out to determine whether exercise, which is so potent physiologically, might “fix” a broken clock, and if so, whether exercising in the morning or later in the day is more effective in terms of regulating circadian rhythm.</div>
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They began by letting healthy mice run, an activity the animals enjoy. Some of the mice ran whenever they wanted. Others were given access to running wheels only in the early portion of their waking time (mice are active at night) or in the later stages, the equivalent of the afternoon for us.</div>
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After several weeks of running, the exercising mice, no matter when they ran, were found to be producing more proteins in their internal-clock cells than the sedentary animals. But the difference was slight in these healthy animals, which all had normal circadian rhythms to start with.</div>
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So the scientists turned to mice unable to produce a critical internal clock protein. Signals from these animals’ internal clocks rarely reach the rest of the body.</div>
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But after several weeks of running, the animals’ internal clocks were sturdier. Messages now traveled to these animals’ hearts and livers far more frequently than in their sedentary counterparts.</div>
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The beneficial effect was especially pronounced in those animals that exercised in the afternoon (or mouse equivalent).</div>
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That finding, Dr. Colwell says, “was a pretty big surprise.” He and his colleagues had expected to see the greatest effects from morning exercise, a popular workout time for many athletes.</div>
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But the animals that ran later produced more clock proteins and pumped the protein more efficiently to the rest of the body than animals that ran early in their day.</div>
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What all of this means for people isn’t clear, Dr. Colwell says. “It is evident that exercise will help to regulate” our bodily clocks and circadian rhythms, he says, especially as we enter middle age.</div>
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But whether we should opt for an afternoon jog over one in the morning “is impossible to say yet,” he says.</div>
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Late-night exercise, meanwhile, is probably inadvisable, he continues. Unpublished results from his lab show that healthy mice running at the animal equivalent of 11 p.m. or so developed significant disruptions in their circadian rhythm. Among other effects, they slept poorly.</div>
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“What we know, right now,” he says, “is that exercise is a good idea” if you wish to sleep well and avoid the physical ailments associated with an aging or clumsy circadian rhythm. And it is possible, although not yet proven, that afternoon sessions may produce more robust results.</div>
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“But any exercise is likely to be better than none,” he concludes. “And if you like morning exercise, which I do, great. Keep it up.”</div>
Helen Mabry, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10943672092788668998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7909156295282722818.post-91319925493110488792012-12-07T08:33:00.003-08:002012-12-07T08:33:42.654-08:00Fruits and Veggies!<br />
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Nutrients in Fruits, Vegetables May Help Prevent Breast Cancer: Study</h1>
<img alt="" class="newsimage" src="http://media.healthday.com/images/editorial/veggies_18025.jpg" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4;">THURSDAY Dec. 6, 2012 -- Women with higher levels of micronutrients found in many fruits and</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4;"> </span><a class="itxtnewhook itxthook" href="http://www.drugs.com/news/nutrients-fruits-vegetables-may-help-prevent-breast-cancer-study-41919.html#" id="itxthook0" rel="nofollow" style="background-image: none; border: 0px none transparent; color: #7788dd; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial;"><span class="itxtrst itxtrstspan itxtnowrap" id="itxthook0p" style="border: 0px; bottom: auto; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; height: auto; left: auto; line-height: normal; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; position: static; right: auto; top: auto; white-space: nowrap !important;"><span class="itxtrst itxtrstspan itxtnowrap itxtnewhookspan" id="itxthook0w" style="border-color: transparent transparent rgb(0, 204, 0); border-style: none none solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; bottom: auto; color: #009900; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; height: auto; left: auto; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; right: auto; text-decoration: underline !important; top: auto; white-space: normal;">vegetables</span><img class="itxtrst itxtrstimg itxthookicon" id="itxthook0icon" src="http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/icon1.png" style="border: 0px !important; bottom: auto; display: inline !important; float: none !important; height: auto !important; left: auto; margin: 0px !important; max-height: none; max-width: none !important; padding: 0px 0px 0px 4px !important; position: static; right: auto; top: auto; vertical-align: baseline !important; white-space: normal; width: auto !important;" /></span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4;">may be less likely to develop breast cancer, a new study finds.</span><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, 'Nimbus Sans L', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 0.8em; margin-top: 0.8em;">
Previous <a class="itxtnewhook itxthook" href="http://www.drugs.com/news/nutrients-fruits-vegetables-may-help-prevent-breast-cancer-study-41919.html#" id="itxthook1" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; border: 0px none transparent; color: #7788dd; cursor: pointer; display: inline; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial;"><span class="itxtrst itxtrstspan itxtnowrap" id="itxthook1p" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; bottom: auto; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; height: auto; left: auto; line-height: normal; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; position: static; right: auto; top: auto; white-space: nowrap !important;"><span class="itxtrst itxtrstspan itxtnowrap itxtnewhookspan" id="itxthook1w" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: transparent transparent rgb(0, 204, 0); border-style: none none solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; bottom: auto; color: #009900; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; height: auto; left: auto; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; right: auto; text-decoration: underline !important; top: auto; white-space: normal;">research</span><img class="itxtrst itxtrstimg itxthookicon" id="itxthook1icon" src="http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/icon1.png" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px !important; bottom: auto; display: inline !important; float: none !important; height: auto !important; left: auto; margin: 0px !important; max-height: none; max-width: none !important; padding: 0px 0px 0px 4px !important; position: static; right: auto; top: auto; vertical-align: baseline !important; white-space: normal; width: auto !important;" /></span></a> has shown that the nutrients, called carotenoids, can inhibit tumor growth and reduce the spread of breast cancers.</div>
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"Carotenoids are found in carrots, spinach, kale, tomatoes, bell peppers, sweet potatoes and other vegetables," noted one expert not connected to the study, Dr. Stephanie Bernik.</div>
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"There has been some evidence in the past that these substances are helpful in reducing the risk of cancer," said Bernik, who is chief of surgical oncology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.</div>
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In the new study, researchers led by A. Heather Eliassen of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard <a class="itxtnewhook itxthook" href="http://www.drugs.com/news/nutrients-fruits-vegetables-may-help-prevent-breast-cancer-study-41919.html#" id="itxthook2" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; border: 0px none transparent; color: #7788dd; cursor: pointer; display: inline; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial;"><span class="itxtrst itxtrstspan itxtnowrap" id="itxthook2p" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; bottom: auto; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; height: auto; left: auto; line-height: normal; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; position: static; right: auto; top: auto; white-space: nowrap !important;"><span class="itxtrst itxtrstspan itxtnowrap itxtnewhookspan" id="itxthook2w" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: transparent transparent rgb(0, 204, 0); border-style: none none solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; bottom: auto; color: #009900; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; height: auto; left: auto; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; right: auto; text-decoration: underline !important; top: auto; white-space: normal;">Medical School</span><img class="itxtrst itxtrstimg itxthookicon" id="itxthook2icon" src="http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/icon1.png" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px !important; bottom: auto; display: inline !important; float: none !important; height: auto !important; left: auto; margin: 0px !important; max-height: none; max-width: none !important; padding: 0px 0px 0px 4px !important; position: static; right: auto; top: auto; vertical-align: baseline !important; white-space: normal; width: auto !important;" /></span></a>, in Boston, analyzed data from thousands of women who took part in eight previous studies on carotenoid levels and breast cancer.</div>
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They found a statistically significant association between higher levels of carotenoids and reduced breast cancer risk, especially so-called ER-negative breast cancers -- tumors that aren't reliant on estrogen to fuel their growth. The findings highlight carotenoid levels as one of the first modifiable risk factors to be identified for ER-negative breast cancers, the team said.</div>
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While there is some evidence that carotenoids also inhibit the growth of ER-positive breast cancers (cancers that respond to estrogen), it's possible that this benefit is hidden by hormone-related associations that overpower other risk factors, the researchers added.</div>
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"A diet high in carotenoid-rich <a class="itxtnewhook itxthook" href="http://www.drugs.com/news/nutrients-fruits-vegetables-may-help-prevent-breast-cancer-study-41919.html#" id="itxthook3" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; border: 0px none transparent; color: #7788dd; cursor: pointer; display: inline; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial;"><span class="itxtrst itxtrstspan itxtnowrap" id="itxthook3p" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; bottom: auto; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; height: auto; left: auto; line-height: normal; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; position: static; right: auto; top: auto; white-space: nowrap !important;"><span class="itxtrst itxtrstspan itxtnowrap itxtnewhookspan" id="itxthook3w" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: transparent transparent rgb(0, 204, 0); border-style: none none solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; bottom: auto; color: #009900; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; height: auto; left: auto; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; right: auto; text-decoration: underline !important; top: auto; white-space: normal;">fruits</span><img class="itxtrst itxtrstimg itxthookicon" id="itxthook3icon" src="http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/icon1.png" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px !important; bottom: auto; display: inline !important; float: none !important; height: auto !important; left: auto; margin: 0px !important; max-height: none; max-width: none !important; padding: 0px 0px 0px 4px !important; position: static; right: auto; top: auto; vertical-align: baseline !important; white-space: normal; width: auto !important;" /></span></a> and vegetables offers many health benefits, including a possible reduced risk of breast cancer," they concluded.</div>
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Bernik agreed. She said the researchers "have shown that there appears to be a real benefit to higher circulating levels of the micronutrients. The present study has more conclusively shown that there probably is some truth to what we tell patients regarding their diets ... the foods that your <a class="itxtnewhook itxthook" href="http://www.drugs.com/news/nutrients-fruits-vegetables-may-help-prevent-breast-cancer-study-41919.html#" id="itxthook4" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; border: 0px none transparent; color: #7788dd; cursor: pointer; display: inline; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial;"><span class="itxtrst itxtrstspan itxtnowrap" id="itxthook4p" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; bottom: auto; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; height: auto; left: auto; line-height: normal; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; position: static; right: auto; top: auto; white-space: nowrap !important;"><span class="itxtrst itxtrstspan itxtnowrap itxtnewhookspan" id="itxthook4w" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: transparent transparent rgb(0, 204, 0); border-style: none none solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; bottom: auto; color: #009900; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; height: auto; left: auto; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; right: auto; text-decoration: underline !important; top: auto; white-space: normal;">mother</span><img class="itxtrst itxtrstimg itxthookicon" id="itxthook4icon" src="http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/icon1.png" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px !important; bottom: auto; display: inline !important; float: none !important; height: auto !important; left: auto; margin: 0px !important; max-height: none; max-width: none !important; padding: 0px 0px 0px 4px !important; position: static; right: auto; top: auto; vertical-align: baseline !important; white-space: normal; width: auto !important;" /></span></a> always told you are good for you, truly are good for you."</div>
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The study was published Dec. 6 in the <i>Journal of the National Cancer Institute</i>.</div>
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The study found a link between carotenoid levels and breast cancer risk, but it did not prove that the nutrients prevent the disease.</div>
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<b>More <a class="itxtnewhook itxthook" href="http://www.drugs.com/news/nutrients-fruits-vegetables-may-help-prevent-breast-cancer-study-41919.html#" id="itxthook5" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: none; border: 0px none transparent; color: #7788dd; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-weight: normal; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial;"><span class="itxtrst itxtrstspan itxtnowrap" id="itxthook5p" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; bottom: auto; display: inline !important; float: none !important; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; height: auto; left: auto; line-height: normal; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; position: static; right: auto; top: auto; white-space: nowrap !important;"><span class="itxtrst itxtrstspan itxtnowrap itxtnewhookspan" id="itxthook5w" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: transparent transparent rgb(0, 204, 0); border-style: none none solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; bottom: auto; color: #009900; display: inline; float: none; font-family: inherit; height: auto; left: auto; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px 0px 1px !important; position: static; right: auto; text-decoration: underline !important; top: auto; white-space: normal;">information</span><img class="itxtrst itxtrstimg itxthookicon" id="itxthook5icon" src="http://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/icon1.png" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px !important; bottom: auto; display: inline !important; float: none !important; height: auto !important; left: auto; margin: 0px !important; max-height: none; max-width: none !important; padding: 0px 0px 0px 4px !important; position: static; right: auto; top: auto; vertical-align: baseline !important; white-space: normal; width: auto !important;" /></span></a></b></div>
Helen Mabry, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10943672092788668998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7909156295282722818.post-51079965937409764172012-11-10T16:15:00.000-08:002012-11-10T16:15:04.241-08:00Eating sweets and other high glycemic index is dangerous<a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/09/can-foods-affect-colon-cancer-survival/?ref=health">http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/09/can-foods-affect-colon-cancer-survival/?ref=health</a><br />
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Can Foods Affect Colon Cancer Survival?</h1>
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By <a class="url fn" href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/author/anahad-oconnor/" style="color: grey; text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase;" title="See all posts by ANAHAD O'CONNOR">ANAHAD O'CONNOR</a></address>
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<img alt="Whole-grain foods and others with a low glycemic load may protect against colon cancer recurrence." height="160" id="100000001892826" src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/11/09/health/09well_grains/09well_grains-articleInline-v2.jpg" style="display: block;" width="190" /><span class="credit" style="color: #909090; display: block; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.223em; margin: 2px 0px; text-align: right;"></span><span class="caption" style="color: #666666; display: block; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 1.1em; line-height: 1.2727em; margin: 3px 2px;">Whole-grain foods and others with a low glycemic load may protect against colon cancer recurrence</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 1.4em; line-height: 1.5em;">The research is among the first to look at the impact that specific nutrients have on the likelihood of disease recurrence in people with colon cancer, one of the leading causes of cancer death in the United States. It found that people treated for Stage 3 disease, in which tumor cells have spread to lymph nodes, had greatly increased chances of dying of it or experiencing a recurrence if their diets were heavy in carbohydrate-rich foods that cause spikes in blood sugar and insulin.</span>A new study suggests that what you eat may affect your chances of surviving colon cancer.</div>
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The patients who consumed the most carbohydrates and foods with high glycemic loads — a measure of the extent to which a serving of food will raise blood sugar — had an 80 percent greater chance of dying or having a recurrence during the roughly seven-year study period than those who had the lowest levels. Stage 3 colon cancer patients typically have a five-year survival rate of about 50 to 65 percent.</div>
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The study, however, was observational, meaning it could only highlight an association between carbohydrates and cancer outcomes without proving direct cause and effect. The researchers also obtained some of their data from food questionnaires that required patients to recall details about their diets, a method that can be unreliable.</div>
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Still, the researchers, who <a href="http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2012/11/02/jnci.djs399.abstract" style="color: #666699;">published their findings in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute</a>, believe insulin may play a critical role in colon cancer recurrence. Chronically high insulin levels have been linked to cancer recurrence and mortality in previous research, and people with a history of Type 2 diabetes or elevated plasma C-peptide, a marker of long-term insulin production, have also been found to have an increased risk of colon cancer. One hypothesis is that insulin may fuel the growth of cancer cells and prevent cell death, or apoptosis, in cancer cells that have spread.</div>
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“It’s not simply that all carbs are bad or that you should avoid all sugar,” said Dr. Jeffrey A. Meyerhardt, the lead author of the study and an associate professor of medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. It’s not as simple as ‘sugar causes cancer to grow.’”</div>
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He added: “Different carbs and sugar lead to different responses in your body. I think people should focus on a well-balanced diet” and substitute foods associated with lower glycemic loads or carbs for foods that have higher levels.</div>
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Earlier research <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17699009" style="color: #666699;">published by Dr. Meyerhardt’s group</a> showed that Stage 3 colon cancer patients who most closely followed a Western-style diet — with high intakes of meat, fat, refined grains and sugary desserts — had a threefold increase in recurrence and death from the disease compared with those who most strongly deviated from Western patterns of eating.</div>
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For this study, Dr. Meyerhardt and his team wanted to see to what extent carbohydrate intake could influence the progression of the disease, so they followed about 1,000 Stage 3 colon cancer patients taking part in a clinical trial sponsored by the National Cancer Institute. The patients, who had all had surgery and chemotherapy as part of their treatments, provided information on their diets and lifestyle habits. But the researchers went beyond just carbohydrate and sugar intake, taking into account glycemic measures.</div>
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The glycemic index, an increasingly popular <a href="http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods.htm" style="color: #666699;">nutritional measure</a>, looks at the rate at which carbohydrate-containing foods raise a person’s fasting level of blood sugar and subsequent need for insulin. Sugary drinks, white bread and other highly processed carbohydrates rank higher on the index, while those that are digested more slowly, like brown rice, many vegetables, unrefined grains and legumes, have a lower index value.</div>
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Another barometer, however, is the <a href="http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Glycemic_index_and_glycemic_load_for_100_foods.htm" style="color: #666699;">glycemic load</a>, which refers to the blood sugar effect of a standard serving of a food. A glycemic load of 10 or less for a food is generally considered low, while 20 or more is high. The latest study showed that glycemic load and total carbohydrate intake were the best predictors of cancer recurrence and mortality, and the link was strongest in people who were overweight or obese.</div>
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Dr. Meyerhardt said the findings suggest that colon cancer patients would be wise to keep glycemic load in mind while making food decisions, looking for ways to work into their diets foods that rank lower on the scale.</div>
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“So if you think about beverages, most juices and certainly sodas have a higher glycemic load than flavored waters and tomato juice and things like that,” he said. “Fruits like a date or raisins have very high glycemic loads, whereas fresh fruits like an apple, orange or cantaloupe all have sugar but have a very low glycemic load. Substitute brown rice for white, whole grains instead of white bread, and instead of having a starchy potato as your side dish, substitute beans and vegetables.”</div>
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One expert who was not involved in the research, Somdat Mahabir, a nutritional epidemiologist with the National Cancer Institute’s division of cancer control and population sciences, said the findings from the latest study must be borne out in further research. But in the meantime, making dietary changes that reduce glycemic load is a reasonable recommendation for colon cancer patients, he said, since it can only be helpful, not harmful.</div>
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“The results of the current study need to be confirmed, but the current indications are that diet is important to colon cancer survival,” Dr. Mahabir said.</div>
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</footer>Helen Mabry, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10943672092788668998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7909156295282722818.post-57002921909327037042012-11-09T18:21:00.000-08:002012-11-09T18:21:19.980-08:00Can Exercise Overcome Eating Fatty Foods?<br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: medium;">http://journals.utoledo.edu/pulse/2012/11/07/exercise-and-eating-fatty-foods/</span></h2>
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Exercise and Eating Fatty Foods</h2>
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Exercise Reduces Cognitive Decline Induced by Dietary Fat</div>
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http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/health/SFN.pdf</div>
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Can Exercise Protect the Brain From Fatty Foods?<br />By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS<br />In recent years, some research has suggested that a high-fat diet may be bad for the brain, at least in lab animals. Can exercise protect against such damage? That question may have particular relevance now, with the butter-and cream-laden holidays fast approaching. And it has prompted several new and important studies.</div>
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The most captivating of these, presented last month at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in New Orleans, began with scientists at the University of Minnesota teaching a group of rats to scamper from one chamber to another when they heard a musical tone, an accepted measure of the animals’ ability to learn and remember.</div>
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For the next four months, half of the rats ate normal chow. The others happily consumed a much greasier diet, consisting of at least 40 percent fat. Total calories were the same in both diets.</div>
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After four months, the animals repeated the memory test. Those on a normal diet performed about the same as they had before; their cognitive ability was the same. The high-fat eaters, though, did much worse.</div>
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Then, half of the animals in each group were given access to running wheels. Their diets didn’t change. So, some of the rats on the high-fat diet were now exercising. Some were not. Ditto for the animals eating the normal diet.</div>
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For the next seven weeks, the memory test was repeated weekly in all of the groups. During that time, the performance of the rats eating a high-fat diet continued to decline so long as they didn’t exercise.</div>
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But those animals that were running, even if they were eating lots of fat, showed notable improvements in their ability to think and remember.</div>
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After seven weeks, the animals on the high-fat diet that exercised were scoring as well on the memory test as they had at the start of the experiment.</div>
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Exercise, in other words, had “reversed the high-fat diet-induced cognitive decline,” the study’s authors concluded.</div>
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That finding echoes those of another study presented last month at the Society for Neuroscience meeting. In it, researchers at Kyoto University in Japan gathered a group of mice bred to have a predisposition to developing a rodent version of Alzheimer’s disease and its profound memory loss.</div>
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Earlier studies by the same scientists had shown that a high-fat diet exacerbated the animals’ progression to full-blown dementia, and that both a low-fat diet and exercise slowed the animals’ mental decline.</div>
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But it hadn’t been clear in these earlier experiments which was more effective at halting the loss of memory, a leaner diet or regular rodent workouts.</div>
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So the scientists set out now to tease out the effects of each intervention by first feeding all of their mice a high-fat diet for 10 weeks, then switching some of them to low-fat kibble, while moving others to cages equipped with running wheels.</div>
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A third group began both a low-fat diet and an exercise routine, while the remainder of the mice continued to eat the high-fat diet and didn’t exercise.</div>
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After an additional 10 weeks, this last group, the animals that ate lots of fat and lounged around their cages, had developed far more deposits of the particular brain plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease than the other mice. They also performed much more poorly on memory tests.</div>
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The mice that had been switched to a low-fat diet had fewer plaques and better memories than the control group.</div>
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But the mice that were exercising had even healthier brains and better memory scores than the low-fat group — even if they had remained on a high-fat diet. In other words, exercise was “more effective than diet control in preventing high-fat diet-induced Alzheimer’s disease development,” the authors write.</div>
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Just why high-fat diets might affect the brain and how exercise undoes the damage is not yet clear. “Our research suggests that free fatty acids” from high-fat foods may actually infiltrate the brain, says Vijayakumar Mavanji, a research scientist at the Minnesota VA Medical Center at the University of Minnesota, who, with his colleagues Catherine M. Kotz, Dr. Charles J. Billington, and Dr. Chuan Feng Wang, conducted the rat study. The fatty acids may then jump-start a process that leads to cellular damage in portions of the brain that control memory and learning, he says.</div>
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Exercise, on the other hand, seems to stimulate the production of specific biochemical substances in the brain that fight that process, he says.</div>
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In the Japanese study, for instance, the brains of the exercised animals teemed with high levels of an enzyme that is known to degrade the plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease.</div>
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Of course, lab animals are not people, Dr. Mavanji cautions, and it’s not known if exercise might protect our brains in the same manner as it does in mice and rats.</div>
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Still, he says, there’s enough accumulating evidence about the potential cognitive risks of high-fat foods and the countervailing benefits from physical activity to recommend that “people exercise moderately,” he says, particularly during periods of repeated exposure to alluring, fatty holiday buffets.</div>
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The amount of exercise required to potentially protect our brains from the possible depredations of marbled beef and cheesecake isn’t excessive, after all, he continues. His rats were running for the human equivalent of about a daily 30-minute jog. So if you can’t walk away from the buffet table, be sure to at least take a walk afterward.</div>
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Helen Mabry, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10943672092788668998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7909156295282722818.post-7913773091215494532012-11-09T18:19:00.001-08:002012-11-09T18:19:09.102-08:00Excuses to Avoid Exercise (from Zen Habits)<table><tbody>
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<a href="http://zenhabits.net/excuses/" name="13ae819212d47d23_1" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;" target="_blank">15 Great Excuses Not to Form the Fitness Habit</a></div>
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Posted: 09 Nov 2012 09:14 AM PST</div>
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‘Clear your mind of can’t.’ <strong>~Samuel Johnson</strong></blockquote>
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Post written by <a href="http://leobabauta.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Leo Babauta</a>.</h6>
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Lots of people know they should be getting fit, but they can’t seem to find the time to form the fitness habit.</div>
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And while I understand this completely — I was stuck in overweight, unhealthy mode for years — I think it’s useful to take a look at the justifications we give ourselves to put it off.</div>
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I put things off because I didn’t have time, or energy, or I had too many family commitments, or not enough motivation, or work kept getting in the way, or I didn’t feel good enough to run, or I was sick, or other people would make things difficult, or I didn’t have the money for a gym membership … you get the idea.</div>
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But I’ve learned to kill all the excuses. Or to put it less violently, I’ve found loving ways to let them go and embrace the joy of a fit and healthy life.</div>
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I did it with six kids and a wife, a full-time job (and now my own business), a ton of family and work commitments, freelancing on the side, building a blog on the side, while writing various books … and so the excuses were ultimately meaningless.</div>
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Why might you be putting things off? Let’s look at the justifications, and try to blast them.</div>
<ol style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.333333969116211px; line-height: 17.77777862548828px;">
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><strong>I don’t have the time</strong>. Do 5 minutes a day. You can squeeze 5 minutes of brisk walking into your busy schedule. If you can’t, you might need to seriously rethink your priorities. Cut back on TV, Internet surfing, watching or reading the news. This 5 minutes a day (for now) will save your life. If you can’t go outside to walk due to the weather, do some pushups, air squats and lunges at home or near your desk. Start with 5 minutes of an easy exercise, and once you’ve learned to fit this into your day, you can expand to 10 minutes.</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><strong>I have kids, dude</strong>. Yeah, me too — I have six of them. They’re awesome, and I love spending time with them. So I take them to the park and play with them, running and climbing and lifting them up (like weights) and putting them on my shoulders and running up hills. By exercising in front of them, and with them, I’m setting a good example for them that they will take into adulthood. We combine exercise and bonding time. Or split time with your spouse, or do it when they’re at school or sleeping (at night or early mornings). You owe it to your kids to get healthy and stay healthy into old age.</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><strong>My job takes my time and energy</strong>. Mine too — at one point I was working two jobs while starting a blog/business (and writing about 20 posts a week). I know that work drains your energy and sucks up your time, but if you put fitness first, you can do both. Workout before work — it’s a great way to start your day, get some key thinking done, get energized before you start working. Or workout right after work — great way to unwind, de-stress, and perhaps spend time with your spouse or friend or kids.</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><strong>I’m too tired</strong>. Not working out actually makes you feel more tired most of the time — in my experience and from lots of people I’ve talked to about this. When you work out regularly, you feel refreshed, energized, de-stressed, ready to take on the world. If you’re tired, just tell yourself all you need to do is lace up your shoes and get out the door — even the most tired among us can do that!</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><strong>I’m sick or injured</strong>. If you’re really sick, with a fever or serious medical condition, exercise at this moment might not be best — rest is sometimes better. Same with serious injuries. But often you can do something with lesser illnesses and injuries, and we just let the pain or tiredness stop us. Consult a doctor if you have a serious condition, but most people who just have the sniffles can still go for a walk or do some bodyweight exercises at home.</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><strong>My family isn’t supportive</strong>. That is definitely tough, but you have options. One of my favorite tactics is getting my family on board early — before I’ve decided to make a change, when I’m still thinking about it. I send them articles I’m reading, talk to them about things I’ve learned, why this is important to me, etc. Then when I’m ready to make a decision to change, I ask for their help deciding — and then their help implementing. Another tactic is to just ask for them to give you the space to make your own change, even if they don’t want to support you, and then find support online. Finally, sometimes you have to take responsibility for your life instead of blaming it on others, and just do what you need to do, and try to win their support and educate them along the way, even if they’re not there at first.</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><strong>The gym is too expensive, or too far</strong>. Go walking or running outside. Doing bodyweight exercises at home or in the office is free. You can do yoga at home using free videos online.</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><strong>It’s too hard</strong>. Start easy. Just 5 minutes of walking, or just 5 pushups. If that’s too hard, do 2 minutes of walking or 2 pushups. Starting small and only progressing gradually beats this objection every time, and is generally a good idea for other habit-change reasons as well.</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><strong>I don’t have the right equipment/clothes</strong>. Use whatever you have. You can go walking in jeans and a T-shirt. I’ve walked and run barefoot many times. You can do bodyweight workouts in your bedroom in your underoos.</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><strong>I’m not good at it</strong>. No one is good at it when they start out. Everyone has to learn, everyone starts somewhere. You get good at it by doing it. Do it in the privacy of your home if you’re afraid of looking stupid. Find a friend who’s a beginner and do it with them. Or do it with a trainer or a friend who’s really good at it and can show you how.</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><strong>I don’t know how</strong>. Who cares? Get started — that’s the most important thing. You’ll learn as you go. You don’t need to read a dozen books or websites to learn something — just start, take it easy so you don’t get injured, and educate yourself as you go. If you’re worried about getting injured, do a free session with a trainer or find a friend who knows what he or she is doing.</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><strong>I’m not strong, fast, flexible</strong>. You know how you get strong? Do strength exercises. You know how you get fast? Keep doing it. A good way to get flexible is to do yoga. Exercise solves all these problems.</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><strong>I hate running</strong>. So don’t run! There are a thousand different ways to exercise. Walk, bike, swim, do yoga, pilates, tai chi, martial arts, strength training, bodyweight exercises, dance aerobics, kickboxing workouts, bootcamps, gymnastics, rock climbing, hiking, basketball, football, soccer, trampolines. Also, running can be fun if you start easy (walk/run intervals), go somewhere beautiful, and do it while conversing with a good friend.</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><strong>The weather sucks (too cold, rainy, hot, etc.)</strong>. Do it inside. Go to a gym or public indoor pool. Or suck it up and go outside anyway! I’ve run in torrential rain (it’s amazing), done Crossfit in freezing early morning weather, done a GoRuck Challenge with 70 lbs. of weight on my back for 13 hours in the middle of the night, the heat of midday, freezing ocean water, with sand in my shoes. It’s hella fun.</li>
<li style="margin-left: 15px;"><strong>I’m not motivated</strong>. <a href="http://imgur.com/r/motivation" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Bam</a>. <a href="http://imgur.com/a/iVPHO/all#0" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Motivated</a>.</li>
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Motivation is everywhere. It’s in the mindset. It’s in the people around you doing something amazing, showing what’s possible. It’s in the idea that moving your body can be fun, joyous, miraculous, and that sitting is killing you.</div>
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You can have excuses, or you can move. Your choice.</div>
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Helen Mabry, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10943672092788668998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7909156295282722818.post-57736553509387276432012-11-05T12:43:00.002-08:002012-11-05T12:43:22.613-08:00What is Health?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXy6Ft10yGH6o1RZZteA2TnooCidbMd-Hd8sSmYRnks85DCbrLsv8g-B8goHPlX5c_yEgN6FFBNcFgmh99NmgCbdecSWJ9tUXqb-3IFcKJ57jLPF8GtON5nkBZszPdmhPgP8zT97-nWG4/s1600/health-wellness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXy6Ft10yGH6o1RZZteA2TnooCidbMd-Hd8sSmYRnks85DCbrLsv8g-B8goHPlX5c_yEgN6FFBNcFgmh99NmgCbdecSWJ9tUXqb-3IFcKJ57jLPF8GtON5nkBZszPdmhPgP8zT97-nWG4/s320/health-wellness.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
"When you have your health you have everything."<br />
Source unknown, but likely an ill person.<br />
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Heath definitions:<br />
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<li style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.2; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The state of being free from illness or injury.</li>
<li style="border: 0px; line-height: 1.2; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">A person's mental or physical condition.</li>
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We know health is important especially when it is threatened, but do we know what it is?<br />
It is often described as the absence of disease, but we know that some people have more of it than others.<br />
In Western medicine traditionally we have not emphasized how to optimize health.<br />
There are some basics that we all know: avoid some things (sweets, soda, cigarettes, etc.) and add some things (exercise and good food).<br />
This is a very basic approach that leaves most of us uncertain where to being or how to know what are the most important factors.<br />
<br />
I like to view health in terms of the three pigs story.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOdQvC7akH0sTVsgKj4WIHc2xrr5JJhMqZFrTwwdoPowDd40RtZ_UP1bgN_kG5Jsn58koEGN9eyX14Dq_3_zfPyrYPBreVMCx6kGevMF_QAoCHWFLP8GfmxDzepbB9vRY8x9qvB0mmB50/s1600/bigbadwolf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOdQvC7akH0sTVsgKj4WIHc2xrr5JJhMqZFrTwwdoPowDd40RtZ_UP1bgN_kG5Jsn58koEGN9eyX14Dq_3_zfPyrYPBreVMCx6kGevMF_QAoCHWFLP8GfmxDzepbB9vRY8x9qvB0mmB50/s1600/bigbadwolf.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Physical and mental health are like structures we build with repeated choices.<br />
We can build a straw house, a wood house or a brick house.<br />
A well built and well maintained home is much more pleasant to live in and much more capable of withstanding storms of illness.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwGs6KcOhChH6k-2CS6XoM3oND4a0TtAIHz1K39rykTDRxs8RLfUGGqiu7QWMWakGyemEoEl1IbNh1Cp6OGpSFTezbayN_KI0ts0QjtQHyPVYV2DtXxVPGVn6ku9O8mAeW9jjJ5XNspGQ/s1600/wolf+blowing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwGs6KcOhChH6k-2CS6XoM3oND4a0TtAIHz1K39rykTDRxs8RLfUGGqiu7QWMWakGyemEoEl1IbNh1Cp6OGpSFTezbayN_KI0ts0QjtQHyPVYV2DtXxVPGVn6ku9O8mAeW9jjJ5XNspGQ/s320/wolf+blowing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
A home in any condition can be improved.<br />
Some improvements are more high yield than others.<br />
An entire home cannot be remade in a day.<br />
An upgrade from no daily exercise to a walk after dinner is a major improvement.<br />
Additional vegetables and smaller portions or less red meat is another improvement.<br />
Small daily changes add up over time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIqNo3rvfClB_YOjYxbJSkQw1PxRk_SP52935tanLuXWS36_ZAjuabUUaxMZ4gf5oZldJV1MWfniycrRkHZ3D5DKDGpIhzw7dWcHTy8wJ-CnULTdiZNsxMxMhfwcFb85uOINAd4VwQ2yM/s1600/brick-house.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIqNo3rvfClB_YOjYxbJSkQw1PxRk_SP52935tanLuXWS36_ZAjuabUUaxMZ4gf5oZldJV1MWfniycrRkHZ3D5DKDGpIhzw7dWcHTy8wJ-CnULTdiZNsxMxMhfwcFb85uOINAd4VwQ2yM/s320/brick-house.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
Changing the mindset from health as an <b>unpleasant to do list</b> to health as an <b>investment in building a stronger home for oneself</b> is a good first step.Helen Mabry, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10943672092788668998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7909156295282722818.post-16891518008970783622012-11-05T09:49:00.004-08:002012-11-05T09:49:50.066-08:00I love turnips, but I love parsnips more!<a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_912241134"></span><span id="goog_912241135"></span><a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/312422/maple-glazed-parsnips-and-sweet-potatoes?czone=food/produce-guide-cnt/produce-guide-fall&center=0&gallery=275724&slide=284887">Maple glazed parsnips recipe</a><br />
<h1 class="title fn">
Maple-Glazed Parsnips And Sweet Potatoes </h1>
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<a class="camera standard-link" href="http://www.marthastewart.com/312422/maple-glazed-parsnips-and-sweet-potatoes?czone=food/produce-guide-cnt/produce-guide-fall&center=0&gallery=275724&slide=284887#" rel="BxcDF5MToGbMpbWzFKG-wJnw7ml5nvtq">Maple-Glazed Parsnips</a></h4>
Sarah Carey, of Everyday Food, makes maple glazed parsnips and sweet potatoes.<br />
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<cite>
</cite>
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<li><strong>Prep Time</strong> <span class="preptime"><span class="value-title" title="PT0H15M"></span>15 minutes</span></li>
<li><strong>Total Time</strong> <span class="duration"><span class="value-title" title="PT0H45M"></span>45 minutes</span></li>
<li class="yield">
<strong>Yield</strong> Serves 6 </li>
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<h2>
Ingredients</h2>
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<li class="ingredient first">
1 1/4 pounds parsnips</li>
<li class="ingredient">
1 1/4 pounds sweet potatoes, quartered lengthwise, then cut diagonally into 1/2-inch pieces</li>
<li class="ingredient">
2 tablespoons olive oil</li>
<li class="ingredient">
Coarse salt and ground pepper</li>
<li class="ingredient">
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup</li>
<li class="ingredient">
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard</li>
<li class="ingredient last">
Chopped parsley, (optional)</li>
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<h2>
Directions</h2>
<div class="item-list">
<ol class="content-multigroup-group-steps">
<li class="step first">
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Peel and cut parsnips as directed
above; then cut on a diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick pieces.</li>
<li class="step">
On a large rimmed baking sheet (or two smaller baking sheets),
toss parsnips and sweet potatoes with oil; season generously with salt
and pepper. Spread in a single layer. Roast until tender and golden,
tossing once or twice, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.</li>
<li class="step last">
In a small bowl, stir together maple syrup and mustard. Pour
over vegetables; toss to coat. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired. Serve
immediately.</li>
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<h2>
Cook's Note</h2>
To cut parsnips: Trim tops and bottoms; peel, and slice in
half crosswise to separate thick and narrow parts. Halve or quarter
thick parts lengthwise, until all parsnip pieces are roughly the same
size (this ensures even cooking).Helen Mabry, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10943672092788668998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7909156295282722818.post-70657424202681787402012-11-05T09:46:00.002-08:002012-11-05T09:46:51.335-08:00Dietary changes to reduce the risk of breast cancer<div style="padding-bottom: 10px;">
<h1 style="line-height: 26px;">
High intake of red meat and poultry ups breast
cancer risk in some women</h1>
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Last Updated: Sunday,
November 04, 2012,15:55 </div>
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<strong>Tags</strong>: <span class="fs-red1lin"><a class="fs-red1lin" href="http://www.blogger.com/news/health/tags/Red_meat.html">Red meat</a>, <a class="fs-red1lin" href="http://www.blogger.com/news/health/tags/Breast_cancer.html">Breast
cancer</a>, <a class="fs-red1lin" href="http://www.blogger.com/news/health/tags/Progesterone_receptor_positive_tumors.html">Progesterone
receptor positive tumors</a></span></div>
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<img align="left" alt=" High intake of red meat and poultry ups breast cancer risk in some women" height="140" src="http://znn.india.com/Img/2012/11/4/meat256.jpg" style="border-bottom: #bdbdbd 1px solid; border-left: #bdbdbd 1px solid; border-right: #bdbdbd 1px solid; border-top: #bdbdbd 1px solid; margin-right: 8px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 3px; padding-right: 3px; padding-top: 3px;" width="256" /></div>
Washington: A new research from The Cancer
Institute of New Jersey has revealed racial differences in the link between
consumption of meat and breast cancer risk.<br /><br />The Cancer Institute of New
Jersey is a Center of Excellence of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of
New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS).<br /><br />Previous research
on meat intake and its relation to breast cancer risk has been limited to
Caucasian women. Using data from a new case-control study based at The Cancer
Institute of New Jersey, known as the Women’s Circle of Health Study,
investigators explored the association between meat consumption and breast
cancer risk in African-American women.<br /><br />Using a questionnaire focused on
the frequency of food intake, researchers examined 976 African-American and 873
Caucasian women with breast cancer and 1,165 African-American and 865 Caucasian
women without cancer.<br /><br />Investigators found that Caucasian women in the
group with the highest consumption appeared to have an increased breast cancer
risk if they ate unprocessed red meat and poultry as compared to Caucasian women
with the lowest intake.<br /><br />Incremental increases in consumption (500 grams
per week of all red meat and 200 grams per week of poultry) also seemed to
increase breast cancer risk in this group. Stronger estimates were noted for
Caucasian women who were premenopausal.<br /><br />In addition, there was an
elevated risk of estrogen receptor positive and progesterone receptor positive
tumors in Caucasian women related to a 500 gram per week increase in total red
meat intake. Poultry intake was associated with estrogen receptor negative and
progesterone receptor negative tumors.<br /><br />In African-American women, no
clear association was found between intake of any kind of meat and breast cancer
risk. There was only a suggestion of a reduction in risk of tumors that lacked
estrogen receptors and progesterone receptors for African-American women having
a high intake of red meat.<br /><br />“This research supports encouraging Caucasian
women to limit their intake of both red meat and poultry in order to reduce
their risk of breast cancer, which is in line with the AICR’s recommendation of
limiting red meat intake to less than 500 grams per week,” noted lead author,
Urmila Chandran, MA, MPH, PhD(C), a research teaching specialist at The Cancer
Institute of New Jersey, who was awarded an AICR Scholarship Award to present
the work at the scientific conference.<br /><br />“Being that this study may be one
of the first to examine this association in African-American women, results from
this group are not conclusive, and more investigation is needed to replicate
these findings,” said Chandran.<br /><br />Senior author Elisa V. Bandera, MD, PhD,
an epidemiologist at The Cancer Institute of New Jersey is the lead investigator
on the Women’s Circle of Health Study, which separately aims to examine the
impact of multiple risk factors on breast cancer in African-American women.<br />
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“Most
breast cancer studies have been conducted in Caucasian women. Our study provides
new information on the role consumption of animal foods play on breast cancer
development in women of European and African ancestry,” stated Dr. Bandera, who
is also an associate professor of epidemiology at RWJMS and UMDNJ-School of
Public Health.<br /><br />Along with Bandera and Chandran, other investigators
include: Christine Ambrosone, Gary Zirpoli, Gregory Ciupak, Susan E. McCann, and
Zhihong Gong, Roswell Park Cancer Institute; Karen Pawlish, New Jersey State
Cancer Registry; and Yong Lin and Kitaw Demissie, The Cancer Institute of New
Jersey and UMDNJ-School of Public Health.<br /><br />The work will be presented as a
scientific poster during the 2012 American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR)
Annual Research Conference in Washington, D.C., this week.<br /><br />ANI </div>
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First
Published: Sunday, November 04, 2012, 15:55</div>
Helen Mabry, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10943672092788668998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7909156295282722818.post-60697003540799439682012-11-01T13:29:00.001-07:002012-11-01T13:29:30.512-07:00Apples!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://permalink%20to%20this%20article/">Original article</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.newswise.com/articles/an-apple-peel-a-day-could-keep-cancer-at-bay" style="border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" title="Permalink to article 539365">An Apple Peel a Day Could Keep Cancer at Bay</a></h1>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Released:</strong> <span class="releasedate release-date" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">4/4/2008 1:00 PM EDT</span><br />
<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Source:</strong> <span id="articlesource" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: normal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.newswise.com/institutions/view/266/" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(118, 185, 238); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; color: #0d5f9f; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cornell University</a></span></div>
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Newswise — An apple peel a day might help keep cancer at bay, according to Rui Hai Liu, Cornell associate professor of food science, who has identified a dozen compounds -- triterpenoids -- in apple peel that either inhibit or kill cancer cells in laboratory cultures. Three of the compounds have not previously been described in the literature.</div>
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"We found that several compounds have potent anti-proliferative activities against human liver, colon and breast cancer cells and may be partially responsible for the anti-cancer activities of whole apples," says Liu, who is affiliated with Cornell's Institute of Comparative and Environmental Toxicology and is senior author of the study, which is online and published in the <i>Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry</i>.</div>
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In previous Cornell studies, apples had been found not only to fight cancer cells in the laboratory but also to reduce the number and size of mammary tumors in rats. The Cornell researchers now think that the triterpenoids may be doing much of the anti-cancer work.</div>
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"Some compounds were more potent and acted differently against the various cancer cell lines, but they all show very potent anti-cancer activities and should be studied further," says Liu.</div>
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With co-author Xiangjiu He, a Cornell postdoctoral researcher, Liu analyzed the peel from 230 pounds of red delicious apples from the Cornell Orchard and isolated their individual compounds. After identifying the structures of the promising compounds in the peel, the researchers tested the pure compounds against cancer cell growth in the laboratory. In the past, Liu has also identified compounds called phytochemicals -- mainly flavonoids and phenolic acids -- in apples and other foods that appear to be have anti-cancer properties as well, including inhibiting tumor growth in human breast cancer cells.</div>
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"We believe that a recommendation that consumers to eat five to 12 servings of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables daily is appropriate to reduce the risks of chronic diseases, including cancer, and to meet nutrient requirements for optimum health," said Liu.</div>
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The study online: <a href="http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/jafcau/2007/55/i11/abs/jf063563o.html" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(118, 185, 238); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; color: #0d5f9f; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/jafcau/2007/55/i11/abs/jf063563o.html</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: small; text-align: left;">Additional recent researches have shown that eating apples are linked to reducing cancer risk in several studies. Some examples are:</span><br />
<br style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; text-align: left;" />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: small; text-align: left;">* Quercetin, a flavonoid abundant in apples has been found to help prevent the growth of prostate cancer cells.</span><br />
<br style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; text-align: left;" />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: small; text-align: left;">* Phytonutrients in the skin of apples inhibited the growth of colon cancer cells by 43% .</span><br />
<br style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; text-align: left;" />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: small; text-align: left;">* Food containing flavonoids like those in apples may reduce risk of lung cancer as much as 50% .</span><br />
<br style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; text-align: left;" />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: small; text-align: left;">* Dietary phenolics such as flavonoids (found in apples) have inhibitory effects on the developments of carcinogenic substances in the bladder, thereby reducing risk of bladder cancer, especially in smokers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: small; text-align: left;">Also, eating apples could improve lung function and reduce the risk of respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) due to antioxidants present in apples that would counter the oxygen's damaging effects on the body as well as the flavonoids such as catechins (present in apples and tea).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: small; text-align: left;">In addition, studies have shown that a diet rich in apples could help to lower the blood cholesterol level. Pectin, a soluble fiber found in apples has been thought to play a significant role in this. In fact, </span><a href="http://www.naturalnews.com/apple.html" style="color: #3366cc; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">apple</a><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: small; text-align: left;"> juice has been found to inhibit the oxidation of a harmful form of cholesterol (LDL, or low-density lipoprotein).</span><br />
<br style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; text-align: left;" />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: small; text-align: left;">Besides therapeutic benefits, apples are also found to play a role in inhibiting ageing-related problems, preventing wrinkles and promoting hair growth (due to a compound named procyanidin B-2).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: small; text-align: left;">For those weight-watchers, this is good news as apples are a delicious source of dietary fiber and helps to aid digestion and promote weight loss.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: small; text-align: left;">My recommendation is that if you are going to eat apple peels, make sure your apples are organic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: small; text-align: left;">Additional Reference:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times; font-size: small; text-align: left;">Apples & Health (</span><a href="http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/webprojects2003/lim/Appleweb2003/beniapple.htm" style="color: #3366cc; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/webprojects2003/lim/Appleweb2003/beniapple....</a><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: small; text-align: left;">)</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: small; text-align: left;"><br /><br />Learn more: <a href="http://www.naturalnews.com/023150_apple_cancer_apples.html#ixzz29buIPeLE" style="color: #003399; text-decoration: none;">http://www.naturalnews.com/023150_apple_cancer_apples.html#ixzz29buIPeLE</a></span></div>
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Helen Mabry, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10943672092788668998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7909156295282722818.post-38275375204364594932012-11-01T13:29:00.000-07:002012-11-01T13:29:00.094-07:00Exercise is the Elixir of Life!I have found that exercise improves my mood and relieves minor aches and pains.<br />
It's health benefits go far beyond weight loss.<br />
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<a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/27/changing-our-tune-on-exercise/?smid=pl-share">New York Times Article</a><br />
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What would it take to persuade you to <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/specialtopic/physical-activity/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" style="color: #666699;" target="_blank" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Physical activity.">exercise</a>?</div>
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A desire to lose weight or improve your figure? To keep heart disease, <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/cancer/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" style="color: #666699;" target="_blank" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Cancer.">cancer</a> or <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/diabetes/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" style="color: #666699;" target="_blank" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Diabetes.">diabetes</a> at bay? To lower your <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/test/blood-pressure/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" style="color: #666699;" target="_blank" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Blood Pressure.">blood pressure</a> or <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/nutrition/cholesterol/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" style="color: #666699;" target="_blank" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Cholesterol.">cholesterol</a>? To protect your bones? To live to a healthy old age?</div>
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You’d think any of those reasons would be sufficient to get Americans exercising, but scores of studies have shown otherwise. It seems that public health experts, doctors and exercise devotees in the media — like me — have been using ineffective tactics to entice sedentary people to become, and remain, physically active.</div>
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For decades, people have been bombarded with messages that regular exercise is necessary to lose weight, prevent serious disease and foster healthy aging. And yes, most people say they value these goals. Yet a vast majority of Americans — two-thirds of whom are overweight or obese — have thus far failed to swallow the “exercise pill.”</div>
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Now research by <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/psychology_and_psychologists/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" style="color: #666699;" target="_blank" title="Recent and archival health news about psychologists.">psychologists</a> strongly suggests it’s time to stop thinking of future health, weight loss and body image as motivators for exercise. Instead, these experts recommend a strategy marketers use to sell products: portray physical activity as a way to enhance current well-being and happiness.</div>
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“We need to make exercise relevant to people’s daily lives,” Michelle L. Segar, a research investigator at the Institute for Research on Women and Gender at the University of Michigan, said in an interview. “Everyone’s schedule is packed with nonstop to-do’s. We can only fit in what’s essential.”</div>
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<strong>Reframing the Message</strong></div>
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Dr. Segar is among the experts who believe that people will not commit to exercise if they see its benefits as distant or theoretical.</div>
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“It has to be portrayed as a compelling behavior that can benefit us today,” she said. “People who say they exercise for its benefits to quality of life exercise more over the course of a year than those who say they value exercise for its health benefits.”</div>
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Her idea for a public service advertisement to promote exercise for working women with families: A woman is shown walking around the block after dinner with her children and says, “This is great. I can fit in fitness, spend quality time with my kids, and at the same time teach them how important exercise is.”</div>
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Based on studies of what motivates people to adopt and sustain physical activity, Dr. Segar is urging that experts stop framing moderate exercise as a medical prescription that requires 150 minutes of aerobic effort each week. Instead, public health officials must begin to address “the emotional hooks that make it essential for people to fit it into their hectic lives.”</div>
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“Immediate rewards are more motivating than distant ones,” she added. “Feeling happy and less stressed is more motivating than not getting heart disease or cancer, maybe, someday in the future.”</div>
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In a study of 252 office workers, David K. Ingledew and David Markland, psychologists at the University of Wales, found that while many began to exercise as way to lose weight and improve their appearance, <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08870440701405704" style="color: #666699;" target="_blank">these motivations did not keep them exercising in the long term</a>. “The well-being and enjoyment benefits of exercise should be emphasized,” the researchers concluded.</div>
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Dr. Segar put it this way: “Physical activity is an elixir of life, but we’re not teaching people that. We’re telling them it’s a pill to take or a punishment for bad numbers on the scale. Sustaining physical activity is a motivational and emotional issue, not a medical one.”</div>
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Other studies have shown that what gets people off their duffs and keeps them moving depends on age, gender, life circumstances and even ethnicity. For those of college age, for example, physical attractiveness typically heads the list of reasons to begin exercising, although what keeps them going seems to be the stress relief that a regular exercise program provides.</div>
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The elderly, on the other hand, may get started because of health concerns. But often what keeps them exercising are the friendships, sense of community and camaraderie that may otherwise be missing from their lives — easily seen among the gray-haired women who faithfully attend water exercise classes at my local YMCA.</div>
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In a recent study of 1,690 overweight or obese middle-aged men and women, Dr. Segar found that <a href="http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jobes/2012/354721/" style="color: #666699;" target="_blank">enhancing daily well-being was most influential factor for the women in the study</a>. Men indicated they were motivated by more distant health benefits, although Dr. Segar suspects this may be because men feel less comfortable discussing their <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/mentalhealthanddisorders/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" style="color: #666699;" target="_blank" title="Recent and archival health news about mental health and disorders.">mental health</a> needs.</div>
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“What sustains us, we sustain,” Dr. Segar said. “We need to promote what marketers call ‘customer loyalty.’ We need to help people stay engaged with movement by teaching them how it can help sustain them in their lives.“</div>
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<strong>Value Beyond Weight Loss</strong></div>
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Many, if not most, people start exercising because they want to lose weight. But very often they abandon exercise when the expected pounds fail to fall off. Study after study has found that, without major changes in eating habits, increasing physical activity is only somewhat effective for losing weight, though it helps people maintain weight loss and shedding even a few pounds, especially around one’s middle, can improve health.</div>
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For example, researchers in Brisbane, Australia, and in Leeds, England, studied 58 sedentary overweight or obese men and women who participated in <a href="http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/43/12/924.abstract" style="color: #666699;" target="_blank">a closely monitored 12-week aerobic exercise program</a>. Weight loss was minimal, but nonetheless the participants’ waistlines shrunk, their blood pressure and resting <a href="http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/test/pulse/overview.html?inline=nyt-classifier" style="color: #666699;" target="_blank" title="In-depth reference and news articles about Pulse.">heart rate</a> dropped, and their aerobic capacity and mood improved.</div>
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“Exercise should be encouraged and the emphasis on weight loss reduced,” the researchers concluded. “Disappointment and low self-esteem associated with poor weight loss could lead to low exercise adherence and a general perception that exercise is futile and not beneficial.”</div>
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I walk three miles daily, or bike ten miles and swim three-quarters of a mile. If you ask me why, weight control may be my first answer, followed by a desire to live long and well. But that’s not what gets me out of bed before dawn to join friends on a morning walk and then bike to the Y for my swim.</div>
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It’s how these activities make me feel: more energized, less stressed, more productive, more engaged and, yes, happier — better able to smell the roses and cope with the inevitable frustrations of daily life.</div>
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A version of this article appeared in print on 08/28/2012, on page D7 of the NewYork edition with the headline: Personal Health: Changing America’s Anthem on Exercise.</h6>
Helen Mabry, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10943672092788668998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7909156295282722818.post-60200129578248609332012-10-18T08:49:00.001-07:002012-10-18T08:49:37.212-07:00Diet Coke: A Difficult Love<br />
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<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/04/diet-soda-addiction-_n_830997.html">Original Article</a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I drank Diet Coke beginning at age 15 and ending at age 40. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Although it has no calories it is not harmless.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Recent studies have shown increased risk of stroke, weight </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">gain and diabetes and these are why I gave it up completely</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">one year and seventeen days ago (October 1, 2011).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I still miss it a little sometimes, but I no longer crave it.</span></div>
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From the Huffington Post:Diet Coke Addiction</div>
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First thing every morning, Ellen Talles starts her day by draining a supersize Styrofoam cup filled with Diet Coke and crushed ice. The 61-year-old from Boca Raton, Fla., drinks another Diet Coke in the car on the way to work and keeps a glass nearby "at all times" at her job as a salesclerk. By the end of the day she has put away about 2 liters.</div>
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"I just love it," she says. "I crave it, need it. My food tastes better with it."</div>
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Talles sounds a lot like an addict. Replace her ever-present glass of Diet Coke with a cigarette, and she'd make a convincing two-pack-a-day smoker. In fact, she says, she buys her 2-liter bottles 10 at a time -- more if a hurricane is in the offing -- because if she notices she's down to her last one, she panics "like somebody who doesn't have their pack of cigarettes."</div>
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Most diet-soda drinkers aren't as gung ho as Talles, but people who down several diet sodas per day are hardly rare. Government surveys have found that people who drink diet beverages average more than 26 ounces per day (some drink far more) and that 3 percent of diet-soda drinkers have at least four daily.</div>
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Are these diet-soda fiends true addicts? And if so, what are they addicted to? The most obvious answer is caffeine -- but that doesn't explain the many die-hard diet drinkers who prefer caffeine-free. Factors besides caffeine are likely at work. Although diet soda clearly isn't as addictive as a drug like nicotine, experts say the rituals that surround diet soda and the artificial sweeteners it contains can make some people psychologically -- and even physically -- dependent on it in ways that mimic more serious addictions. And unlike sugared soda, which will make you gain weight if you drink too much of it, zero-calorie soda doesn't seem to have an immediate downside that prevents people from overindulging.</div>
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"You think, 'Oh, I can drink another one because I'm not getting more calories,'" says Harold C. Urschel, M.D., an addiction psychiatrist in Dallas and the author of Healing the Addicted Brain. "Psychologically you're giving yourself permission."</div>
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<strong style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">How diet soda trains your brain</strong><br style="border: none; display: block; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 4px; padding: 0px;" />The simplest explanation for a serious diet-soda habit is caffeine. Many people who chain-drink diet soda may be caffeine addicts who simply prefer soda to coffee or energy drinks, though diet soda doesn't provide much of a kick by comparison. (A can of Diet Coke contains four to five times less caffeine than a small Starbucks coffee.)</div>
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Caffeine can't account for Steve Bagi's habit, however. The 44-year-old graphic designer from Chester Springs, Pa., gets his morning buzz from an enormous cup of coffee, yet he still buys caffeine-free Diet Pepsi by the case and downs six cans a day, "easy."</div>
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His Diet Pepsi cravings stem from a prior addiction to nicotine, not caffeine. "It's all tied to smoking," says Bagi, who smoked a pack a day for 20 years and started drinking diet soda to mask the aftertaste of cigarettes. He eventually kicked the smoking habit -- but the Diet Pepsi one stuck.</div>
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Trading one addiction or compulsive behavior for another -- a phenomenon known as addiction swapping -- is a well-known concept in addiction medicine, one that may explain Bagi's experience and that of other heavy diet-soda drinkers. Many people who drink diet soda are trying to lose (or keep off) weight by eating healthier, and they may turn to the sweetness of diet soda for comfort as they scale back on sugar, carbohydrates, and other satisfying foods--much like a heroin addict who steps down to Oxycontin, Dr. Urschel says.</div>
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Similarly, people may get hooked on diet soda because they associate it with a certain activity or behavior, as Bagi did with smoking. "You can get into a situation where you crave a diet soda by conditioning yourself," Dr. Urschel says. "[If] you stop for gas and always get a diet soda, the craving will start to come first, before you even pull into the station."</div>
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The psychological components of diet-soda cravings are powerful, but they aren't the whole story. Research suggests that the artificial sweeteners in diet soda (such as aspartame) may prompt people to keep refilling their glass because these fake sugars don't satisfy like the real thing.</div>
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In a 2008 study, for instance, women who drank water that was alternately sweetened with sugar and Splenda couldn't tell the difference -- but their brains could. Functional MRI (fMRI) brain scans revealed that even though both drinks lit up the brain's reward system, the sugar did so more completely.</div>
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"Your senses tell you there's something sweet that you're tasting, but your brain tells you, 'Actually, it's not as much of a reward as I expected,'" says Martin P. Paulus, M.D., a professor of psychiatry at the University of California San Diego, and one of the authors of the study. "The consequence might be that the brain says, 'Well, I'll have more of this.'"</div>
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In other words, artificial sweeteners may spur drinkers -- or their brains -- to keep chasing a "high" that diet soda keeps forever just out of reach. It's not clear that this teasing effect can lead to dependence, but it's a possibility, Dr. Paulus says. "Artificial sweeteners have positive reinforcing effects -- meaning humans will work for it, like for other foods, alcohol, and even drugs of abuse," he says. "Whenever you have that, there is a potential that a subgroup of people... will have a chance of getting addicted."</div>
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Timothy S. Harlan, M.D., a nutrition specialist and assistant professor of internal medicine at the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, says that while diet-soda dependence appears to be a real phenomenon, it is probably caused by a complex mix of behavioral factors, not necessarily artificial sweeteners. "I don't think there is clear-cut evidence of biochemical dependence on diet soda, but my sense is that certainly people do become habituated to diet soda and dependent upon it," he says.</div>
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<strong style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Are you hooked?</strong></div>
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According to the American Psychiatric Association, a key sign of substance dependence is when a person continues to use a substance even when he or she knows it's causing physical or mental health problems.</div>
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Talles fits this description. She was diagnosed with brittle bones about six years ago, and her internist urged her to quit Diet Coke because the phosphoric acid in soda -- both diet and regular -- leaches calcium from bones, which can make osteoporosis worse.</div>
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She's not having it, though. "It's not like I smoke or have any other bad habits," she says. "This is my thing." All the same, Talles acknowledges that drinking so much diet soda is probably not good for her, so in the last couple of months, she's started substituting one of her daily Diet Cokes for a caffeinated Crystal Light.</div>
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Another distinguishing feature of substance dependence -- whether it's to caffeine, nicotine, or hard drugs like heroin -- is the painful withdrawal symptoms that occur if a person tries to quit cold turkey. Although it's difficult to pinpoint whether aspartame, caffeine, or some combination of ingredients is responsible, people who cut back on diet soda report symptoms such as headaches, nausea, and irritability -- a feeling that Talles knows well.</div>
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She still remembers with horror a European vacation in 1982 during which she couldn't find diet soda for weeks. (This was still the infancy of diet soda; Diet Coke had just been released.) "I felt terribly lethargic and I had a headache," Talles recalls. "I tried to drink tea, but it didn't work the same way. ... I was having terrible withdrawal." When she finally found a vendor who sold Tab, four weeks into the trip, she bought every can he had.</div>
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Catharina Hedberg, the owner of the Ashram, a wellness retreat nestled in California's Santa Monica Mountains, has seen what she believes is aspartame withdrawal firsthand. She claims that as many as 20 percent of the people who visit the Ashram are "totally addicted" to aspartame, mainly from diet drinks. "Withdrawals are horrendous," Hedberg says, even among those who drink caffeine-free diet soda.</div>
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Before guests arrive at the retreat, Hedberg sends them a packet of literature that, among other things, encourages them to stop consuming diet soda and other products that contain aspartame. Although her observations are admittedly unscientific, Hedberg says that people who drink a lot of diet soda tend to experience nausea (and sometimes even vomiting) one to two days after arriving at the retreat, whereas coffee drinkers typically just get headaches.</div>
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<strong style="border: none; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The dangers of too much diet soda</strong></div>
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Whether you feel dependent or not, drinking too much diet soda might be risky in the long run. In recent years, habitual diet-soda consumption has been linked to an increased risk of low bone mineral density in women, type 2 diabetes, and stroke. What's more, a growing body of research suggests that excessive diet soda intake may actually encourage weight gain.</div>
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Researchers are still trying to sort out the counterintuitive link between zero-calorie soda and weight gain. One explanation may be that as your body gets used to experiencing the sweet flavor of diet soda without absorbing any calories, it begins to forget that foods containing real sugar and other carbohydrates do deliver calories.</div>
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"The next time you go for a piece of fruit, your history says, 'I don't know if this has calories or not,' so you track those calories less well, and you may eat more of them," says Susan Swithers, Ph.D., a professor of psychological sciences at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.</div>
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It's also possible that people who gravitate toward diet soda are more likely to gain weight because they have less healthy diets overall than people who choose water or other unsweetened beverages. (They may use diet soda to wash down fast food, for instance.)</div>
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If a relationship between diet soda and unhealthy food choices does exist, it may not be a total coincidence. There is some speculation -- largely unconfirmed, as of yet -- that diet sodas have subtle effects on insulin and blood-sugar levels that trigger hunger and food cravings and influence how (and what) you eat.</div>
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None of this, however, is enough to persuade Talles or Bagi to swear off their habit. They simply have a hard time imagining life without diet soda.</div>
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"I'd like to quit, and I know my wife would like me to," Bagi says. "I would like it to happen within the next year, but I'm not counting on it."</div>
Helen Mabry, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10943672092788668998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7909156295282722818.post-81060642044583534662012-10-17T19:01:00.002-07:002012-10-17T19:04:18.402-07:00Optimal Diet<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/23/opinion/sunday/the-optimal-diet.html?smid=pl-share">Optimal diet</a>Helen Mabry, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10943672092788668998noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7909156295282722818.post-37617949629096903162012-10-17T17:39:00.002-07:002012-10-17T18:20:31.479-07:00Walnuts Twice a Day...<div>
My mother, Jane, loves walnuts.</div>
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I like them too.</div>
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She makes a great salad with them:</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Jane's Salad</span></div>
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Field greens</div>
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Kiwi</div>
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Raspberries</div>
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Dried cherries</div>
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Dried blueberries</div>
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WALNUTS</div>
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Raspberry vinaigrette dressing</div>
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<a href="http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20090421/walnuts-fight-breast-cancer">original article from WebMD</a></h2>
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Walnuts May Fight Breast Cancer</h2>
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Study Suggests 2 Servings of Walnuts a Day May Keep Breast Tumors at Bay</div>
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Reviewed by <a href="http://www.webmd.com/louise-chang" style="color: #3789b9; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Louise Chang, MD</a>By <a href="http://www.webmd.com/charlene-laino" rel="author" style="color: #3789b9; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">Charlene Laino</a><br />
WebMD Health News</div>
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April 21, 2009 (Denver) -- Just two handfuls of walnuts a day may keep <a href="http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/" style="color: #3789b9; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">breast cancer</a> away, a study in mice suggests.</div>
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And if you have breast <a href="http://www.webmd.com/cancer/" style="color: #3789b9; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">cancer</a>, walnuts may help curb tumor growth, the study suggests.</div>
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Researcher W. Elaine Hardman, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry at Marshall University School of Medicine in Huntington, W.Va., credits the disease-fighting omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and in particular, phytosterols, in walnuts.</div>
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“Phytosterols bind to <a href="http://women.webmd.com/normal-testosterone-and-estrogen-levels-in-women" style="color: #3789b9; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">estrogen</a> receptors, so they would be expected to slow growth of breast cancers,” she says. Estrogen fuels the growth of some breast tumors.</div>
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Eat More Walnuts or Not?</h3>
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Although the study was done in laboratory animals, people should heed recommendations to eat more walnuts, Hardman tells WebMD.</div>
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“Research suggests that walnuts can be a healthful part of the <a href="http://www.webmd.com/diet/default.htm" style="color: #3789b9; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">diet</a> for the prevention not only of breast and other cancers, but also <a href="http://diabetes.webmd.com/default.htm" style="color: #3789b9; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">diabetes</a> and cardiovascular disease,” she says.</div>
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But Peter G. Shields, MD, deputy director of the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in Washington, D.C., says it’s “outrageous” to recommend that people eat more walnuts based on a study in mice.</div>
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He notes that animal studies once suggested that beta-carotene reduced <a href="http://www.webmd.com/lung-cancer/default.htm" style="color: #3789b9; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">lung cancer</a>. "But when we did the [pivotal] study in humans, smokers given beta-carotene got more lung cancer,” he tells WebMD.</div>
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“This is a nice study that calls for more research. There needs to be a lot more understood” about how walnuts might prevent breast tumors, Shields says.</div>
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The findings were presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 100th Annual Meeting.</div>
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Walnuts Delay Breast Tumors by 9 Years</h3>
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Hardman and colleagues studied genetically altered mice that were programmed to develop tumors within six months.</div>
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Half consumed a diet that contained the human equivalent of two 1-ounce servings of walnuts per day. “One serving fits in the palm of your hand,” she says.</div>
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The other half was fed a diet that did not include walnuts.</div>
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Standard testing showed that eating walnuts cut the risk of developing breast tumors in half.</div>
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“If mice did get breast tumors, the growth rate was also slowed, by 50%,” Hardman says.</div>
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Looked at another way, eating walnuts delayed the development of tumors by at least three weeks in the mice. “Extrapolating to humans, this would be about a nine-year delay,” she says.</div>
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The researchers are now testing the benefits of the walnut-rich diet in male mice genetically altered to develop <a href="http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/human-anatomy-the-prostate" style="color: #3789b9; outline: none; text-decoration: none;">prostate</a> tumors.</div>
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Hardman says she expected similar results, with the nuts both preventing and slowing the growth of prostate tumors.</div>
Helen Mabry, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10943672092788668998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7909156295282722818.post-11977108655355057032012-10-17T08:46:00.002-07:002012-10-17T12:40:56.921-07:00I love Turnips!<a href="http://www.wellnessletter.com/ucberkeley/wellness-recipes/roasted-white-yellow-turnips/">Recipe</a><br />
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Roasted White & Yellow Turnips</h2>
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If you have access to a farmers’ market, look for a variety of yellow turnip called yellow globe. It is especially sweet and tender. You certainly can use either all white or all yellow turnips instead of the combination.</div>
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3/4 pound white turnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges<br />
3/4 pound yellow turnip (rutabaga), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges<br />
2 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices<br />
1/2 cup chicken broth, homemade or canned<br />
1 tablespoon olive oil<br />
5 cloves garlic, peeled and halved<br />
1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage<br />
1 Granny Smith apple, cut into 1/2-inch thick wedges</div>
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<span class="numbers" style="border: 0px; color: #336699; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1</span> Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a vegetable steamer, steam the turnips and carrots until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.</div>
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<span class="numbers" style="border: 0px; color: #336699; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2</span> Transfer the turnips and carrots to a roasting pan. Add the broth, oil, garlic, salt, and sage, and toss to combine.</div>
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<span class="numbers" style="border: 0px; color: #336699; font-weight: bold; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">3</span> Cover and roast for 10 minutes. Uncover, add the apple, and roast, shaking the pan occasionally, for about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are browned and tender.</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Makes 4 servings</strong><em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; line-height: 15px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></em></div>
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<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; line-height: 15px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Nutrition information per serving</strong><br />calories 103 • total fat 4g (saturated 0.5g) • cholesterol 0mg • dietary fiber 5g • carbohydrate 17g • protein 2g • sodium 430mg<br />Good source of: beta carotene, fiber, potassium, vitamin C</em></div>
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Helen Mabry, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10943672092788668998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7909156295282722818.post-28638354565426997722012-10-17T08:25:00.001-07:002012-10-17T12:43:26.874-07:00Mashed Cauliflower Instead of PotatoesI love this idea and I plan to try it soon!<br />
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<a href="http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/lowcarbsidedishes/r/cauliflowermash.htm">Recipe</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvsXnd2DZ87eW4YRFCXmdI9TjwRBAOPogZzIarXILhBLyYcyp4p312Zi3-XzzGLY-eE4VUoCIhnK8TV3PghyphenhyphenAPGHM1s26gopYUcgLSWKTuuceVZ-J54xfCVYhnKoXH1G6JfXyZ-3cnUeM/s1600/cauliflower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvsXnd2DZ87eW4YRFCXmdI9TjwRBAOPogZzIarXILhBLyYcyp4p312Zi3-XzzGLY-eE4VUoCIhnK8TV3PghyphenhyphenAPGHM1s26gopYUcgLSWKTuuceVZ-J54xfCVYhnKoXH1G6JfXyZ-3cnUeM/s1600/cauliflower.jpg" /></a></div>
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Ingredients:</h3>
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<li class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: inherit;">raw Cauliflower - a medium head makes about a pound of florets</li>
<li class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: inherit;">any combination of butter, milk, cream, or whatever you use when you make mashed potatoes - about 1/4 cup</li>
<li class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: inherit;">salt and pepper</li>
<li class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; list-style-type: disc; margin: 0px 0px 0px 18px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: inherit;">Options: minced garlic (a clove or two); garlic powder (1/2 to 1 teaspoon); cheese</li>
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Preparation:</h3>
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Break the cauliflower up into florets, or just chop. I like to cook it in the microwave in a container that I prepare and serve it in, but you can steam it. Cook it until it's tender -- a fork should easily pierce it.<br />
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The easiest thing to do is to add the rest of the ingredients to the container the cauliflower is cooked in, and then use a stick (hand) blender to put it all together. Or you can put it all in a regular blender or food processor.<br />
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Assuming 4 servings from a pound of cauliflower, each will have about 3 grams of usable carbohydrate plus three grams of fiber. The calories will depend on what else you add.<br />
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Helen Mabry, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10943672092788668998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7909156295282722818.post-21756294680331426192012-10-17T07:50:00.003-07:002012-10-17T07:51:27.345-07:00A Little Exercise Makes a Difference<a href="http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/17/get-up-get-out-dont-sit/?smid=pl-share">http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/17/get-up-get-out-dont-sit/?smid=pl-share</a>Helen Mabry, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10943672092788668998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7909156295282722818.post-39677670153157667132012-10-17T07:19:00.002-07:002012-10-17T07:57:04.743-07:00Five Numbers to Reduce Breast Cancer Risk<br />
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Here are five numbers every woman should know for breast cancer risk reduction:</div>
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<strong>40 years</strong>: the age you should start getting an annual mammogram. Only about 5 percent of breast cancer diagnoses occur in women who are younger than 40. In fact, the average age of a woman diagnosed with breast cancer is 61, says the National Cancer Institute.</div>
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<strong>88 percent</strong>: the odds a woman with stage one breast cancer will live at least five more years, according to the American Cancer Society.</div>
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<strong>2 or more</strong>: the number of daily alcoholic drinks that may raise your chances for developing breast cancer by 20 percent. After conducting a review of more than 50 different studies on the relationship between alcohol consumption and cancer risk, a group of British researchers determined that for each alcoholic beverage consumed per day, a woman’s breast cancer risk rose by seven percent.</div>
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<strong>20 pounds</strong>: the extra body mass that could bump your breast cancer risk by 45 percent. Having excess fatty tissues can increase the amount of cancer-fueling estrogen in a post-menopausal woman’s body. Since the majority of breast cancers happen in older women, if you are at (or nearing) menopause, you should consider maintaining a healthy weight as a crucial step to take to avoid the disease.</div>
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<strong>5 hours: </strong>the minimum amount of time you need to spend sweating each week to ward off breast cancer. Numerous studies indicate that sticking to a regular exercise regimen can lower a woman’s chances of developing breast cancer by as much as 20 percent. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) suggests engaging in a workout regimen that includes a combination of cardio and strength training.</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><a href="http://www.care2.com/greenliving/five-numbers-to-know-for-breast-cancer-risk-reduction.html#ixzz29Z3W4PSQ" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">more information</a>Helen Mabry, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10943672092788668998noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7909156295282722818.post-22828049849314950712012-10-17T07:18:00.001-07:002012-10-17T07:20:43.399-07:00Mid-October Healthy Ideas<br />I just moved back to Toledo from California where I lived for the last eight years.<br />
The autumn colors, smells and textures have been more beautiful than I remembered!<br />
I took my husband and daughter to MacQueen's orchard for apple picking and Shetland pony riding. <br />
Only my three year old rode the ponies.<br />
We bought a gallon of apple cider and a warm apple pie with crumbled topping.<br />
The cool temperatures of the fall can lead to a search for perfect comfort foods.<br />
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I found some delicious autumn foods that combine health and enjoyment.<br />
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Brussel Sprouts<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-QVkNR_g4mRvnvB0ZXo5eNb0fveiB5eWFr3FXh_yRuLJnCQYuYRyOlEt_4tY6wGCmpEIy_g7cpyoLhqwMq1eb6LUQ9Ui2sMZppzZyXhjF1hZylPhv1UlvuAKub6nO4QDvr3HBeY59hY/s1600/brussels-sprouts1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-QVkNR_g4mRvnvB0ZXo5eNb0fveiB5eWFr3FXh_yRuLJnCQYuYRyOlEt_4tY6wGCmpEIy_g7cpyoLhqwMq1eb6LUQ9Ui2sMZppzZyXhjF1hZylPhv1UlvuAKub6nO4QDvr3HBeY59hY/s1600/brussels-sprouts1.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">Brussels sprouts are cruciferous vegetables. Other members of the </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">same </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Species" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Species">species</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;"> that include </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabbage" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Cabbage">cabbage</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collard_greens" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Collard greens">collard greens</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broccoli" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Broccoli">broccoli</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kale" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Kale">kale</a><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">, and </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlrabi" style="background-color: white; background-image: none; color: #0b0080; line-height: 19.200000762939453px; text-decoration: none;" title="Kohlrabi">kohlrab</a>i. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.200000762939453px;">They contain vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid and dietary fiber. They contain sinigrin which has anti-cancer properties. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Brussels sprouts, as with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broccoli" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Broccoli">broccoli</a> and other <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassica" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Brassica">brassicas</a>, contains <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulforaphane" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Sulforaphane">sulforaphane</a>, a chemical believed to have potent anticancer properties. Although boiling reduces the level of the anticancer compounds, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steaming" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Steaming">steaming</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_oven" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Microwave oven">microwaving</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stir_frying" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Stir frying">stir frying</a> do not result in significant loss.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-boil_11-0" style="line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels_sprout#cite_note-boil-11" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[12]</a></sup></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Brussels sprouts and other brassicas are also a source of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indole-3-carbinol" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Indole-3-carbinol">indole-3-carbinol</a>, a chemical which boosts DNA repair in cells and appears to block the growth of cancer cells.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12" style="line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels_sprout#cite_note-12" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[13]</a></sup><sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13" style="line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels_sprout#cite_note-13" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[14]</a></sup></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Overcooking them will render them grey and soft and they develop a strong flavour some dislike.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-zeldes_7-2" style="line-height: 1em;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brussels_sprout#cite_note-zeldes-7" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">[8]</a></sup></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here is a link to an excellent recipe:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://savethekales.wordpress.com/2010/12/21/small-but-mighty-brussels-sprouts-as-a-late-night-snack/">http://savethekales.wordpress.com/2010/12/21/small-but-mighty-brussels-sprouts-as-a-late-night-snack/</a></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?pfriendly=1&tname=foodspice&dbid=19" style="line-height: normal;">More Information on health benefits of cabbage</a></div>
Helen Mabry, MDhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10943672092788668998noreply@blogger.com0